Jacqueline Pearce's Blog, page 6

Spring arrives in Vancouver’s Chinatown

I have been spending a lot of time on the computer lately, preparing for the launch of my new book (more info in a future post). But I was lured away by the spring sunshine Friday afternoon and decided to visit Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

As I neared Chinatown (walking from Stadium Skytrain station) I was met by these two Canada Geese who also seemed out for a spring walk (it’s the time of year when paired geese and their nests turn up in some strange locations around town).

Vancouver’s Chinatown is the second largest in North America (after San Francisco’s). It’s been in existence since the late 1800s, surging in growth after the Canadian railroad was completed in 1885 and many out-of-work Chinese railway workers found employment in Vancouver.

I love the colors and historic buildings in this part of the city and couldn’t resist posting some photos.

(Gate to Chinatown, looking east on Pender St. near Carrall St.)

(Shops along Pender St. –near entrance to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden)

(Tiny pink building is “Kitty’s Beauty Studio”)

(I’m not sure what purpose the niches in this old brick wall served originally, but they seem to have no current one other than to act as cozy pigoen perches)

(Like the two geese, and perhaps the pigeon pair, these crows seem to be a couple with nesting on their mind)

(Chinatown banners)

Ooops, I hadn’t mean to post so many photos of Chinatown, but actually meant to focus on Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden. So, if you’re still with me, garden photos are next.

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden is modeled after private classical gardens of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is the first full-scale classical Chinese garden constructed outside of China, and was built through the cooperation of Canada, China, and the Chinese and non-Chinese communities in Vancouver. It is named in memory of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the “Father” of modern China, who played a role in leading the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and was the first president of the Republic of China.

(You can glimpse the moon-shaped gate to the public park section of the garden beyond the stone lion)

When I stepped into the garden, I left behind the hussle and bustle of the surrounding city (and the shouts from a nearby soccer game), and entered a tranquil oasis.

The design and materials of the garden reflect the Daoist philosophy of yin and yang. Light is balanced by dark, rugged and hard are balanced by soft and flowing, small is blanced by large. It also has the four main elements of a classical Chinese garden: buildings, rocks, plants, water.

Even the pebbled courtyard ground has symbolism. The stones are rough to balance the smooth of the water, and the pattern of one section represents “masculine,” while the pattern of the opposite section represents “feminine.”

Bamboo represents quiet resilience, bending but never breaking.

Turtles symbolize long-life, while the koi fish represent strength and perseverance (due to their ability to swim a long way against the current).

The drip tiles at the edge of the roof represent bats, which are symbols of good luck (the Chinese word for “bat”, bianfu, sounds like the Chinese word for “Good luck”). Bat images can be found throughout the garden.

The water is intentionally cloudy to intensify the reflections (Magnolia tree reflected in above photo).

The garden is open all year, with something different to see with each season. There is a fee to enter the inner courtyard and associated buildings, but the public park section (seen in the above photo) is free. More info is available on the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden website.

Spring arrives in Vancouver's Chinatown

I have been spending a lot of time on the computer lately, preparing for the launch of my new book (more info in a future post). But I was lured away by the spring sunshine Friday afternoon and decided to visit Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden in Vancouver's Chinatown.

As I neared Chinatown (walking from Stadium Skytrain station) I was met by these two Canada Geese who also seemed out for a spring walk (it's the time of year when paired geese and their nests turn up in some strange locations around town).

Vancouver's Chinatown is the second largest in North America (after San Francisco's). It's been in existence since the late 1800s, surging in growth after the Canadian railroad was completed in 1885 and many out-of-work Chinese railway workers found employment in Vancouver.

I love the colors and historic buildings in this part of the city and couldn't resist posting some photos.

(Gate to Chinatown, looking east on Pender St. near Carrall St.)

(Shops along Pender St. –near entrance to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden)

(Tiny pink building is "Kitty's Beauty Studio")

(I'm not sure what purpose the niches in this old brick wall served originally, but they seem to have no current one other than to act as cozy pigoen perches)

(Like the two geese, and perhaps the pigeon pair, these crows seem to be a couple with nesting on their mind)

(Chinatown banners)

Ooops, I hadn't mean to post so many photos of Chinatown, but actually meant to focus on Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden. So, if you're still with me, garden photos are next.

The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Chinese Garden is modeled after private classical gardens of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is the first full-scale classical Chinese garden constructed outside of China, and was built through the cooperation of Canada, China, and the Chinese and non-Chinese communities in Vancouver. It is named in memory of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the "Father" of modern China, who played a role in leading the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and was the first president of the Republic of China.

(You can glimpse the moon-shaped gate to the public park section of the garden beyond the stone lion)

When I stepped into the garden, I left behind the hussle and bustle of the surrounding city (and the shouts from a nearby soccer game), and entered a tranquil oasis.

The design and materials of the garden reflect the Daoist philosophy of yin and yang. Light is balanced by dark, rugged and hard are balanced by soft and flowing, small is blanced by large. It also has the four main elements of a classical Chinese garden: buildings, rocks, plants, water.

Even the pebbled courtyard ground has symbolism. The stones are rough to balance the smooth of the water, and the pattern of one section represents "masculine," while the pattern of the opposite section represents "feminine."

Bamboo represents quiet resilience, bending but never breaking.

Turtles symbolize long-life (I'm not sure what the koi fish symbolize).

The drip tiles at the edge of the roof represent bats, which are symbols of good luck (the Chinese word for "bat", bianfu, sounds like the Chinese word for "Good luck"). Bat images can be found throughout the garden.

The water is intentionally cloudy to intensify the reflections (Magnolia tree reflected in above photo).

The garden is open all year, with something different to see with each season. There is a fee to enter the inner courtyard and associated buildings, but the public park section (seen in the above photo) is free. More info is available on the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden website.

It Takes a Community to Bomb a Cherry Tree

Yesterday afternoon, I helped a cherry tree blossom early. Knitters, crocheters, authors, book-lovers, and other supporters of Joy Kogawa House gathered to festoon the bare backyard cherry tree with hundreds of hand-knitted and crocheted blossoms. The Sunday afternoon event and several knit-ins leading up to it (including one held at Vancouver City Hall) was organized to help draw attention to the heritage site and the Joy Kogawa House writer-in-residence program.

The house was the childhood home of Canadian author Joy Kogawa –until WW II, when the house was expropriated and the family  forced to move, along with other Japanese-Canadians, to an internment camp in the BC interior. Thanks to the rallying of community members and a national fund-raising campaign (2003-2006), the house is now owned by The Land Conservancy of BC, a non-profit land trust, and a writer-in-residence program is operated on the site, helping to connect authors with the local community and encourage an appreciation for Canadian writing (see the Joy Kogawa House website for more info).

Joy Kogawa mentions the house in her novels, "Obasan" and "Naomi's Road", while the cherry tree itself is the focus of Kogawa's picture book, "Naomi's Tree."

As an appreciator of cherry blossoms, books, and yarn-bombing, I couldn't resist participating in the blossom event and sharing some photos:

Blossoms were created at local knit-ins lead by knit graffiti artists Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore, and were also mailed in from other locations.

. . .

Participants at Sunday's event crocheted chains, knitted "bark," and attached the knitted and crocheted blossoms to the chains while authors read from their works.

. . .

Outside, others sewed "bark" around the tree's trunk and tied blossom chains to the tree.

. . .

Vancouver Firefighters attached blossoms to the highest branches.

. . .

Overhead, an eagle soared.

. . .

All in all, a beautiful day and a beautiful event…

. . .

More photos of the event will be posted at Yarnbombing.com.

. . .

(Hidden among the blossoms in the final photo are three that I knit, and there is also a glimpse of the "bark" I knitted for a very skinny branch in behind.)

Play Time ahead!

I've decided I need a "year of art." It's been ages since I've played with paper, paints, and collage supplies. What better way to start than a visit to Ruby Dog's Art House! This inspiring Vancouver store is like a treasure trove for collage and mixed media artists. Owner, Leanne, and her dog, Ruby, are always welcoming, and there is plenty of eye candy, unique ephemera, colourful bits and pieces, and sample artwork to get the creative juices flowing.

Some images from today's visit:

(RubyDog's is located at 623 Kingsway –near Fraser and 15th Ave).

Woven through with crows

Late this afternoon the setting sun lit up the trees behind my house. It's hard to see them in this photo, but as I looked up through the branches, wave after wave of crows passed over as the birds headed to their nightly roost (if you look closely, you can make out at least four blurry crows, but there must have been close to 100 flying over).

 

sunset painted trees

bronze threads woven together

by black crow stitches

Sci fi Christmas lights

After dark last night, the fog crept in, shrouding my neighbourhood and turning street lights into strange floating orbs of glowing colour. The effect was science-fictionish –as if the lights were some form of UFOs or alien message. However, as I was falling asleep last night, the memory of the lights transformed into a dream image of choral singers standing in a row, each with a long white robe and a giant glowing faceless head. Bizarre, but also Christmasy.

In the words of a young man I overheard on Granville Island today, "Have a wonderful seasonal holiday based on the solstice!"

Crunch time

Fall is one of my favourite seasons. I love the colours, the fresh air that's cool and exhilarating, but not yet cold, and the smell of fallen leaves that brings me instantly back to my childhood. I think I've talked in a previous post about how fall always feels to me like the start of a new year more than January does. There was always the excitement and anticipation surrounding starting a new grade or a new university year, new clothes, seeing old friends again, wondering what the new school year will bring, the build-up to our local Fall Fair (which I looked forward to every year), then Halloween and the thrill of roaming around at night with my friends. And something about the grey sky, the sound of geese flying overhead, the stark branches of trees revealed as leaves fall, the smell of the leaves underfoot… seemed to hint of intriguing stories to be told, potential adventures to be had, secrets to be uncovered –as if there was something creative and unseen crackling in the air around me.

Darby's visit to my blog last month reminded me that I haven't posted any haiku in a while, so here's a haiku that attempts to capture some of that fall feeling I'm talking about:

leaves crunch underfoot

crows billow over treetops

bonfire smoke at dusk

Unfortunately, I only caught the tail end of the cloud of crows that passed over these trees on my way home earlier this week, but you get a hint at least.

I took this next photo right before the first (a bill-board near my bus stop). I apologize for the quality of these photos, but I liked the mood.

Time-Travelling character makes a blog-hop stop

Greetings Jacquie P

So good of you to have me

Here, inside your blog

My name is Darby Christopher, and I write pretty lame haiku. But Jacquie Pearce, the author of Wildink, invited me here for the day, so I wanted to at least try to fit in!

The truth is that this month I'm cruising around the internet in a blog-odyessy, celebrating the launch of my new book. It's called FACING FIRE and Jacquie has kindly made this space available so I can tell you about it.

FACING FIRE picks up the story of what happened to me after the magical summer that you may have read about in A WALK THROUGH A WINDOW. Both of these novels tell the stories of how many different people came to live in Canada. The cool bit for me is that I got to see these stories unfold in real time. Because I may not be very good at Haiku, but I have discovered that I do seem to have a talent for ….time travel.

So if that interests you at all, and you want to learn more about either of my stories, you can always have a peek at kc dyer's website.

Or better still, maybe you'd like to win a copy? If you leave a comment on this post, Jacquie will put your name into a draw to win a signed copy of the new book – FACING FIRE. And if you actually link to this post somewhere else [like in another blog, or facebook post or even a tweet] we'll put your name in for the draw for BOTH of my books.

So what do you say?

By the way, if you're into looking for prizes, [especially if you like making videos], check out my blog HERE at Darby Speaks. I have an AMAZING contest going with some totally fantastic prizes. And if you like twitter, you can follow all the latest on the contest and the blog tour and launches @DarbyWalking.

See you there.

Time for us to part

But there is no sadness, for

I'll be Facing Fire

Thanks for having me, Jacquie!

~Darby

Trees I Have Known

Anyone else have a favourite tree from childhood? The tree in the photo is one of several Broadleaf Maples that I grew up with. Its branches have held a Tarzan swing (placed there by my dad) for over 40 years, entertaining neighbourhood kids for two generations.

The branches of one Maple reached right to my top floor bedroom window, its broad green leaves playing with sunlight in summer, rustling orange-yellow in fall –always nourishing my spirit.

Another Maple tree supported a sturdy playhouse built by my dad, with the trunk of the tree growing up through the middle of the house and offering the perfect climbing route to the playhouse roof and from there further up to where my brother later built a smaller, more precarious-looking tree house. The small tree house was like a crow's nest at the top of a ship mast, offering views of all the neighbouring yards and the prefect retreat for hiding away with a novel or a notebook in which to scribble story ideas and secrets.

The Broadleaf Maples were like good friends throughout my childhood, and I missed them when I moved away –especially when I moved back east where Broadleaf Maples don't grow. When I returned to the westcoast, the familiar large rounded canopies, huge leaves and companionable wind-stirred rustle called out to me like old friends, welcoming me home. They still call.

(The same tree in the 1970s –you can glimpse the treehouse my brother built in the tree behind at the bottom of the photo)

(A fall leaf from a Broadleaf Maple tree near my new house –gives you an idea of how aptly the tree is named)

Graffiti variety pack

It feels like ages since I last blogged and even longer since I posted any graffiti images, so I decided to share a few of my favourite graffiti discoveries over the past few months. I heard a rumour (maybe it was a Tweet) that stencil images of the original Spock had appeared at various locations along Vancouver's Commerical Drive. So I went down to search them out about a week ago. I walked up and down the drive between First Ave and Venables (stopping for lunch at Cafe de Soleil, candy at Dutch Girl Chocolates, etc), but no sign of Spock. It wasn't until I gave up and headed home that I finally spotted this one at the Commerical Drive entrance to the Broadway Sytrain station:

Another image from Commerical Drive (is the crow checking out what looks like a giant bug graffitied across the dumpsters?):

In April I was cutting through the parking lot at Georgia and Cambie (proposed site for a new Vancouver Art Gallery building) and came across this shopping cart (?) art:

I liked the colour against the torquoise wall. Unfortunately, the cart wasn't there the last time I walked through the lot.

And finally, these last two images are of knitted graffiti that I stumbled upon on a visit to a Gabriola Island beach in March (my first live sighting of yarn bombing!):